Narcotics never worked for me (though I have to admit I was never on any strong ones because I wanted to stay away from them if at all possible) but for the first year after my RSD diagnosis I was on a combo of meds that kept me around a 5-6 pain level pretty consistently: Lyrica, Tramadol, Meloxicam, and Doxepin. I did okay with these until I ran out of meds because of work comp not approving visits with the doctor to get them renewed (lord how I hate them). Then the new doc I saw wanted to switch the meds since I was already off them cold turkey for a week anyway...but those meds didn't help at all and then I was put on so many different ones and they had me starting and stopping things without tapering...it was a MESS...and I ended up with seratonin syndrome from all that nonsense. Even when I was placed on the four original ones that used to work in the middle of all of it they didn't help anymore (I assume because my body was in such shock by that point nothing would have helped).

Everyone is different of course. Meds that I had NO reaction to or had a BAD reaction to, other people find extremely helpful. Then there are people who have taken what works for me and they have the opposite reaction or no reaction. But Lyrica, Tramadol, Meloxicam, and Doxepin was the combo that I found most effective. Now I don't take any of them and only use lidoderm patches and clonidine patches...after what happened last year with the meds and the seratonin syndrome I just don't want to rely on the meds as my primary method of controlling the pain. Now I use a TENS unit, ultrasound, and tDCS and am much happier going this route. Could my pain levels be lowered if I was taking meds? Probably...but I don't want to risk it until I can't stand the pain.